The prisoner exchange will take place on
December 27.
MOSCOW,
December 25. /TASS/. The prisoner exchange between Kiev and the self-proclaimed
Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics will be held on December 27, the DPR’s
leader Alexander Zakharchenko said on Monday.
"Today
a crucial event has taken place, the last conditions have been agreed and on
December 27 the exchange by the 306 to 74 formula will be held,"
Zakharchenko said after a meeting with the leader of the self-proclaimed
Lugansk People’s Republic, Leonid Pasechnik, and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and
All Russia in Moscow’s Svyato-Danilov Monastery.
Zakharchenko expressed hope that Kiev will honor the conditions of the prisoner swap and stressed the great role of the Russian Orthodox Church and Patriarch Kirill in solving this issue.
The Lugansk
republic’s leader also said the republic was "ready to exchange prisoners
on the conditions and in line with the agreements reached at today’s
meeting." "We confirm our readiness to hold peace talks and resolve
the conflict in Donbass by peaceful means," Pasechnik said.
"Today
at the Svyato-Danilov Monastery the process has been completed on agreeing on
all details concerning the exchange of prisoners between the Donetsk and
Lugansk People’s republics and Ukraine," the Patriarch confirmed.
The
Patriarch stressed that not all prisoners have been included in the lists,
voicing hope that the dialogue will continue. "I have high hopes that this
first stage will continue by further efforts on releasing all captives,"
he said.
"The
Russian church regrets about what is happening in Ukraine now when a brother
raises a hand against his brother," the Patriarch said, calling to find a
peaceful solution to the Ukrainian conflict as soon as possible.
The
Patriarch stressed the role of Metropolitan Onufriy of Ukraine’s Orthodox
Church in achieving the
consensus
and thanked all those who took part in coordinating the exchange.
Prisoner
swap is one of the key points of the Minsk peace deal on Ukraine. The Minsk
agreements, signed by members of the Contact Group in February 2015 and
approved by leaders of the Normandy Four group (Russia, Germany, France and
Ukraine), lay the foundation for a peaceful settlement in Donbass.
However, no
prisoner exchanges have been held over the past 14 months. In mid-November,
leader of the Ukrainian Choice - People’s Right Viktor Medvedchuk asked Russian
President Vladimir Putin to assist carrying out the swap. He said Ukraine was
ready to release 306 people by the New Year holidays and expected that Donetsk
and Lugansk would set free 74 people.
Kremlin
Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Russian president had a phone conversation
with leaders of the Donetsk and Lugansk republics, who backed the initiative.
During the December 12 video conference, Kiev called to again verify the lists
of prisoners to ask if they wish to switch sides.
Source: ITAR-TASS 25-12-2017
